Fungia Anorexia?

[Octoman]

I've had my plate for about 4-5 months now. It's color looks good, it eats well when I feed it, there are no areas of exposed skeleton.

I've seen pictures of other people's plates where they look super fat and meaty, and mine never looks even close to that full. At night, the tentacles get a little bigger and its "skin" fills in a little, but not nearly to the extent I've seen in other pictures. Is this just because of a difference in species? I'm pretty certain mine is some kind of Fungia spp and not a Cycloseris. I love my plate and I want to make sure it is healthy...

Here's what I'm talking about...

1st - my plate during the day
2nd - my plate looking about as fat as he ever does
3rd - a nice fat plate... (in Triggerjay's tank)

 

[BigAl07]

Mark to be on the SAFE side I think we should put that plate in MY tank for a while and see how it does

 

[Scouter Steve]

I live further away so it would be a better comparison...ship it to me!

I think it looks fine. Can't compare to another coral in another tank fairly. Some are fuller Thats all. I don't have a plate but I know sometimes when I move an LPS to different light it grows/shrinks and is still healthy. Less light usually makes my brains get bigger as if to get more surface to absorb light.

 

[sasquatch]

ok Ill ask them, what are all your water parameters? and while your getting them get some water right off the sand bet and check trates, your rubble looks kinda rough and may be irritating the fleshy bits

 

[kathywithbirds]

hmmm... our plate has lately been looking less fleshy. It WAS even bigger than that pic of Triggerjay's, but now it kinda looks like a cross between yours and his. Ours is green too. Water isn't different, params are OK, (always a hint of trates but not high at all) the only thing I can think of is the other corals are bothering it.

They can move you know. Has yours? Ours never has.

 

[Octoman]

This is my most recent test (a couple weeks ago)...

Salinity - 33ppt 1.025
T - 23.9 C
pH 8.08
Alk - 4.85 meq/L
Ca - 425 ppm
I - 0.03
NH3, NO2 - 0
NO3 - 0-10 (Low res test kit)

I used up the rest of that nitrate kit and I'll be picking up a higher res kit this week. It looks like 0, but I don't want to assume that since the difference between 0-10 is pretty subtle. I'll check some water at the sediment interface when I get a new kit.

I do vacuum just the top of the sand. I've never noticed any apparent irritation at the edges where he touches the bottom (that doesn't mean its not happening though...). Do you think he would prefer to sit on finer sand?

Kathy,
I move mine away from the glass so I can fit the magfloat around him, and he always seems to creep back over. But my cucumber seems to like to go "through the tunnel" underneath him and may be nudging him around in the process.

 

[Octoman]

Oh yeah, also PO4 is 0 (negligible), I check that one once a month, but it's been steady for a few months now. My water parameters have all been steady for several months.

I really appreciate everyones help, I may just be an overconcerned parent...

 

[michael_cb_125]

I have one that looks just like triggerjays. When I first got him he looked just like yours (not full) He stayed like that for anout 4 months. Then I move him to my 100 gallon. I have around 11.8 watts per gallon of 250 watt MHs anf 54 watt T5s. He is not about 1.5 inches thick. It gets huge. I think there are many variables that determine the appearance. It is not bad that yours is not fat. ~Michael

 

[zimboy]

Correct me if i'm wrong, but if a plate is full and extending tentacles, this usually means it is trying to absorb more light/food. If yours is well fed, he may not need to go into full light/food capture mode. I know if i want my corals (especially my brains) to look good for visitors, i don't feed em for a few days. This always makes them fuller and plumper. Try not feeding your plate for a while and see what happens. If your lighting is sufficient you will not do any harm to the plate.

 

[Octoman]

So last night was the Great St. Patty's Blackout of 2008 in Savannah and we lost power for about 12 hours. I got up in the middle of the night to check on the fish and got quite a surprise out of my plate. I guess he was moving around to try and find a new spot because all the pumps were off. This morning he had moved about 2 inches.

Sorry about the photo quality, it was the middle of the night with no power...

And this one is just for size comparison, he was really huge!!!